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Partnership Among Peers: Lessons Learned From the Development of a Community Organization-Academic Research Training Program.

ABSTRACT: Community engagement and rigorous science are necessary to address health issues. Increasingly, community health organizations are asked to partner in research. To strengthen such community organization-academic partnerships, increase research capacity in community organizations, and facilitate equitable partnered research, the Partners in Education Evaluation and Research (PEER) program was developed. The program implements an 18-month structured research curriculum for one mid-level employee of a health-focused community-based organization with an organizational mentor and a Case Western Reserve University faculty member as partners.The PEER program was developed and guided by a community-academic advisory committee and was designed to impact the research capacity of organizations through didactic modules and partnered research in the experiential phase. Active participation of community organizations and faculty during all phases of the program provided for bidirectional learning and understanding of the challenges of community-engaged health research. The pilot program evaluation used qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques, including experiences of the participants assessed through surveys, formal group and individual interviews, phone calls, and discussions. Statistical analysis of the change in fellows' pre-test and post-test survey scores were conducted using paired sample t tests. The small sample size is recognized by the authors as a limitation of the evaluation methods and would potentially be resolved by including more cohort data as the program progresses. Qualitative data were reviewed by two program staff using content and narrative analysis to identify themes, describe and assess group phenomena and determine program improvements.The objective of PEER is to create equitable partnerships between community organizations and academic partners to further research capacity in said organizations and develop mutually beneficial research partnerships between academia and community organizations.PEER demonstrates a commitment to successfully developing sustainable research capacity growth in community organizations, and improved partnered research with academic institutions.

SUBMITTER: Jewett-Tennant J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5573594 | biostudies-other | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:ProblemThe potential for community-engaged research to address health inequity requires deliberate effort to create trusting and equitable community-academic partnerships. A lack of evidence-based opportunities for cultivating such partnerships remains a barrier.ApproachIn 2017 and 2018, the authors designed, facilitated, and evaluated a mixed stakeholder training, Communicating to Engage, at 2 urban academic medical centers involved in the All of Us research program, Boston Medical Center and Mass General Brigham. The goal was to bring together researchers and community members to develop communication skills through improvisational theater-based co-learning. The curriculum was inspired by several evidence-based learning frameworks including community-based participatory research principles and improvisational theater techniques. A self-administered survey completed before and after the training session measured participants' communication skills using the Self-Perceived Communication Competence Scale (SPCCS) and comfort with specific communication styles as outlined in the program's training objectives. Paired t tests were used to measure changes in scaled responses among combined participants and separately among self-identified community members and researchers.OutcomesSixty-nine total participants across 6 workshops completed training evaluations. Overall, pre-post survey analysis demonstrated significant mean score improvement for both the SPCCS and comfort with specific communication styles. In stratified analysis, both community members (n = 26) and researchers (n = 38) reported significant improvement in scores related to comfort with specific communication styles. Only researchers, but not community members, had significant improvement in SPCCS scores.Next stepsThe Communicating to Engage program brought community and researcher stakeholders together and demonstrated improvement in self-perceived communication styles, yet researcher participants benefited more than community participants. Future innovation is necessary to further target community stakeholder communication training needs. Mixed stakeholder improvisational theater-based learning provides deliberate opportunities to build new community-academic partnerships that may enhance health equity initiatives.

Project description:Background:Hypertension (HTN) affects nearly 1 billion people globally and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), HTN represents an unmet health care gap that can be addressed by strengthening national health care systems. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recently funded the T4 Translation Research Capacity Building Initiative in Low Income Countries (TREIN) program to build capacity in dissemination and implementation (D&I) research in HTN in LMICs. The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) at the World Health Organization (WHO) recently developed a massive open online course (MOOC) to train in D&I. Herein, we report on the use of the TDR WHO MOOC in D&I for the TREIN program in Rwanda, assessing feasibility of the MOOC and D&I competencies after MOOC training. Methods:Participants in one-group MOOC training completed pre- and post-training questionnaires to assess dissemination and implementation (D&I) competency outcomes and feasibility. D&I competencies were measured by use of a scale developed for a US-based training program, with the change in competency scores assessed by paired t test. Feasibility was measured by completion of homework and final project assignment and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results:Of the 92 trainees enrolled, 35 (38%) completed all MOOC components. D&I competency scores showed strong evidence of improvements from pre- to post-test. The full-scale average score improved by an average of 1.09 points, representing an effect size of 1.25 (CI 0.48-2.00); all four subscales also showed strong evidence of improvements. Trainees reported challenges to MOOC course completion that included technological issues (i.e., limited internet access) and competing demands (i.e., work, family). Conclusions:In the context of LMIC training, the MOOC course was feasible and course completion showed improvement in D&I competency scores. While the program was designed with a focus on training for tropical diseases, there is potential for scalability to a wider audience of health care researchers, workers, administrators, and policymakers in LMIC interested in D&I research in non-communicable diseases.

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Partnership Among Peers: Lessons Learned From the Development of a Community Organization-Academic Research Training Program.

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